Final answer:
The term order of magnitude refers to the scale of a value expressed in the metric system. Each power of 10 in the metric system represents a different order of magnitude. For example, 10¹, 10², 10³, and so forth are all different orders of magnitude.
Step-by-step explanation:
The term order of magnitude refers to the scale of a value expressed in the metric system. Each power of 10 in the metric system represents a different order of magnitude. For example, 10¹, 10², 10³, and so forth are all different orders of magnitude. All quantities that can be expressed as a product of a specific power of 10 are said to be of the same order of magnitude. For example, the number 800 can be written as 8 x 10², and the number 450 can be written as 4.5 x 10². Thus, the numbers 800 and 450 are of the same order of magnitude: 10². Order of magnitude can be thought of as a ballpark estimate for the scale of a value. The diameter of an atom is on the order of 10⁻⁹ m, while the diameter of the sun is on the order of 10⁹ m.